A new paper by CBHRS researchers Dr. Bridget Hanson and Becky Porter describes experiences of Alaskans using naloxone to prevent opioid overdose in their peers. Participants described naloxone as easy to use and effective in reversing overdose. They emphasized the need to have naloxone widely available in order to prevent […]
On a recent Talk of Alaska episode, ISER’s Dr. Kevin Berry was one of the guests that discussed pandemic preparedness and what has been learned from the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish flu which killed millions worldwide and devastated rural communities in Alaska. […]
CBHRS researchers are evaluating Project HOPE, the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ Narcan® distribution and overdose education program. Narcan® is a nasal spray medication that reverses opioid overdose. The public distribution of opioid overdose rescue kits is a best practice strategy to reduce opioid-related deaths.
Community-based agencies […]
The Institute of Social and Economic Research’s (ISER) Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi, Associate Professor of Economics, was recently published in Scientific American where he discussed his recent research and results on the impact of universal basic income (UBI) on childhood obesity. The article drew from a longer report which Dr. Guettabi […]
Diane King, Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services (CBHRS) within ISER, along with Bridget Hanson, Research Associate Professor and Alexandra Edwards, Research Professional, recently attended the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) Grantee Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The meeting, hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and […]
Kevin Berry, assistant professor of economics at ISER, writes in The Hill about the importance of long-term investments in health capacity to prevent and quickly respond to disease outbreaks, such as the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A new study of the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) program shows that an additional $1,000 PFD decreases the probability of an Alaskan child being obese by as much as 4.5 percentage points, translating to about a 22% reduction in obesity. […]
In Alaska, alcohol is a causal or contributing factor in 9 of the top 10 causes of death and is involved in a quarter of all accidents requiring hospitalization. ISER’s Center for Behavioral […]
Becky Porter and Bridget Hanson, researchers at ISER’s Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services (CBHRS), collected information from providers of prenatal care in Hawaii on the challenges of delivering SBIRT, an evidenced-based practice to identify patients who misuse alcohol and help them reduce their drinking. The practice can both help prevent alcohol use during pregnancy and prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
All Americans spend a lot to get health care—but Alaskans spend the most per resident, face the highest insurance premiums, and have seen overall spending grow much faster. Jessica Passini, Rosyland Frazier, and Mouhcine Guettabi of ISER have compiled a chart book of publically available information on health-care spending in Alaska and nationwide since the 1990s and highlight some trends in a new publication, “Trends in Alaska’s Health-Care Spending.”The chart book, available online, synthesizes a wide range of data and present it as an objective, easy-to-use resource. The authors hope this broad information on trends in health-care spending will help Alaskans better understand what happened, consider possible reasons why, and think about potential ways to change the upward spiral.
